Picking shoe



g 21, 1951 w. A. BLANCHARD 2,564,748 PICKING SHOE I Original Filed Feb.2, 1949 gray/1111111171111 36 w I INVENTOR WILLIAM A. BLANGHARD @M. T M

ATTORNE Y Patented Aug. 21, 1951 to Crompton &" Knowles Loom Works;Worc'es-' ter, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts- Continuationofapplication Serial No. 74,059, FebruaryZ, 1949. This applicationFebruary 18, 1950, Serial No; 145,065

3-' Glaims. 1

This is a continuation of my co-p'endiiig application Serial No. 74,059,filed February 2, I949,

now abandoned.

This invention relates to improvements in picking shoes for looms and itis the general object of the invention to construct the picking shoe insuch manner as to reduce breakage incident to loom operation.

A well-known type of pickin mechanism employs a roll mounted on andrevolving around the bottom shaft of a loom to strike the cam face of apicking shoe rigidly connected to one end of a picking shaft the otherend of which supports a power arm. The shoe, shaft and arm parts are allrigid with each other and when the roll strikes the shoe these partsmust all be moved instantly. This subjects the shoe to a sharp blowwhich when repeated during loom operation is likely to cause shoebreakage.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a pickingshoe having a pocket in which is mounted a resilient means havingengagemerit with the shaft or some part of it for the purpose ofpermitting a limited movement.

of the shoe relatively to the shaft when the shoe is first struck by theroll. By this arrangement the instantaneous resistance and reaction ofthe shoe to movement by the roll is measured largely by its own weightand not by the weight of: the shaft and other parts connected to it ashas been the case heretofore. This use of the resilient means results ina reduction in the breakage of picking shoes.

It is occasionally desirable to be able to move the picking shoealongthe picking shaft to time the start of picking with respect to thecycle of the loom. It is a further object of the invention to provide apicking shoe so constructed that it can be adjusted lengthwise of thepicking shaft and carry the aforesaid resilient means with it so thatsaid means is effective to reduce picking shoe breakage whatever theposition of the latter may be along the picker shaft.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 2,

. connect the top and bottom shafts and cause 2 Fig. 4 is a longitudinalvertical section on line 4-4, Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-'-5, Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing a modified form of theinvention, and

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section on line 1.1, Fig. 6'.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, a loom frame i9 supports top andbottom shafts II and I2, respectively, and has a lay l3 mounted on layswords one of which is shown at M. A shuttle box IE on the lay containsa shuttle S which is picked from the box by movement to the left, Fig.l, of a picker stick l6 pivoted at I! to a rocker iron is secured to arocker shaft I9 located in low position in the loom. Top and bottomgears 20 and 2|, preferably in the ratio of 1 to 2,

them to turn in synchronism during loom operation.

Secured to the bottom shaft I2 is a picking actuator, designatedgenerally at 25, comprising an arm 2%: integral with a hub 21 secured asat 28 to the bottom shaft. A stud 29 on the outer end of arm 26 has apicking roll 30 rotatably mounted thereon. During loom operation shaftl2 rotates once every second pick of the loom and moves the picking rollin a circular path in the direction of arrow at, Fig. 2.

The picker stick is engaged by a lug strap 3! connected to a sweep stick32 connected at 33 to the upper end of a power arm 34. The latter has ahub 35 which is secured to a picking shaft designated generally hereinat 36. is mounted for rocking in front and back bearings 3'! and 38 onthe loom frame.

Except as noted hereinafter with respect to the picking shaft 36 thematter thus far described is of common construction and may operate inthe usual manner.

In carrying the preferred form of the present invention into effect Iprovide an improved form of picking shoe designated generally at 43 andincluding in its construction a cam 4| for engagement with the roll 30.i This cam is connected by a web 42 .or similar structure to a hub 43having an internal cylindrical bore 64 which communicates with a pocket45 running lengthwise of the hub and bore 44.

The shaft 33 has spaced screw threads 5!! and 5| cut externally thereonbetween which is located a smooth cylindrical bearing part 52 whichextends through the bore 44. The shaft is provided with a key slot 53 inwhich is located a key 54 which extends beyond the periphery of thebearing part 52 and into part of the pocket 45.

This shaft- The key does not fill the pocket and that part of the pocketto the left of the key as viewed in Fig. 3 is occupied by a resilientmember 55 which in the preferred form of the invention may be a body ofsoft elastic rubber. This body of rubber may be retained in the lefthand portion of the pocket as viewed in Fig. 3 by having its left edge55 cemented to the adjacent wall 51 of the pocket.

That part of the key which projects into the pocket has a surface 60normally engaging a wall 6| on hub 43 defining the right end of thepocket 45 as viewed in Fig. 3. The top of the pocket may be arcuate asat 62 and preferably though not necessarily concentric with the bore 44.The body 55 of rubber is preferably normally under some compression andhas its right edge 63 as viewed in Fig. 3 held firmly against theadjacent edge 64 of the key.

In the operation of the preferred form of the invention the normaltendency of the body 55 to expand will hold the key edge 60 against wall6!, as shown in Fig. 3. When the picking roll 30 strikes the cam 41 thepicker shoe 40 will be rocked in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.3, thereby placing the elastic body 55 under additional compression andcommunicating a force through it to the key 54. During this compressionof the elastic body the wall 6! of the pocket will move slightly awayfrom the surface or side 58 of the key due partly at least to theinertia of the shaft 36, the power arm 34, and parts associated with thelatter. At the instant of impact with the roll the shoe will be the onlypart which will start to move, and it will turn slightly on bearing part52 of shaft 35. As the roll continues to move along the cam the elasticbody 55 Will start rotation of the shaft 36 and eventually cause thelatter to move in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3 to give thepower arm 34 a working stroke the effect of which is to move the pickerstick to the left as viewed in Fig. 1.

Movement of the picker stick is resisted by the weight of the shuttle S,and this resistanc may keep the surfaces 69 and GI spaced from eachother a slight distance during the greater part of the pickingoperation. As the shuttle is finally delivered from the shuttle box andthe picking roll reaches the upper'end of the cam 4| the rubber willexpand and move th key against the right side of the pocket to theposition shown in Fig. 3. Well-known means will then return the pickerstick to its normal outward position as shown in Fig. 1 with the key andelastic body 55 in position for the next picking operation.

In assembling the picking shoe on shaft 36 a nut G5 and lock nut 6'5 arethreaded on screw threads 5i and key 54 is then inserted into slot 53.Hub 43 is then slipped over screw threads 50 and along bearing 52 andtheelastic body 55 will slide along surface 64 of the key. Nut 67 andlock nut 68 are then threaded onto screw threads 53 until a slightclearance 69 exists between the right end of the hub 43 and nut 65, seeFig. 4. This will permit turning of the hub 43 on bearing part 52 ofshaft 35.

Nuts 55 and 61' are adapted for limited adjustment along theirrespective screw threads in the direction of the length of the shaft 35to locate the picking shoe cam in differently timed positions relativel;to roll 39. When the nuts 65 and 6B are adjusted along the length of theshaft the key 54 will move in the slot 53, and the elastic body 55,being preferably though not necessarily cemented in the pocket, willalso move with the hub and the operative relation between theclasaccording to prior practice.

tie material and the key already described will be maintained for alllongitudinally adjusted po sitions of the shoe along the picking shaft.

The modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is similar tothat already described except that in place of the elastic body 55 I usea fiat stiff metallic spring 15 having a straight central part 16 toengage the wall 57 of the pocket 45 and having offset ends 11 to engagethe surface 64 of the key. This spring is normally under some stress tohold the key as shown in Fig. 7, and at the start of a picking operationthis spring is placed under additional stress as hub 43 has a slightangular movement relatively to shaft 35. Thereafter the parts actsubstantially as already described for the preferred form.

In both forms of the invention the blow which the picking roll 30strikes the cam 41 is required initially to move only the picking shoewithout necessarily moving the shaft 36 and parts connected to it. It isfor this reason that the picking shoe can respond more readily andtherefore with less shock to the blow of the roll than is possible inpicking shoes of this general type made The picking shoe is not obligedto transmit all of the force necessary to set the entire pickingmechanism into operation at the very beginning of the picking strokewhen the roll first engages the cam 4 l. The gradual pick-up of thepicking load made possible by the yielding member or means 55 in thepicking shoe reduces breakage of the latter.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth asimple form of picking shoe containing a resilient member, which may beeither soft elastic rubber or a metallic spring, the effect of which isto enable the picking shoe to get into motion slightly before thepicking shaft and the parts connected to it are moved. The initial forceexerted by the picking roll on the shoe is therefore reduced and thelikelihood of breakage is lessened. Furthermore, the picking shoe is somade that it can be adjusted along the length of the shaft 36 and boththe key and the resilient member will move longitudinally with the hub43 so that the previously mentioned relationship between these partswill be preserved for all adjusted positions of the shoe.

Having thus described the invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications of the fore going specific disclosure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a picking shoe for a loom picking shaft having a cylindricalbearing part and. a key projecting beyond said bearing part, the shoecomprising a cam carrying hub having a bore to fit and move angularly onsaid bearing part of the shaft, the hub having a pocket thereincommunicating with the bore and extending lengthwise of the latter toreceive said key at one side thereof, and a body of soft elasticmaterial in said pocket at the other side thereof for engagement withthe key and effective when the hub is fitted to said bearing part tohold the key at said one side of the pocket but yieldable to enable thehub to turn angularly on said bearing part.

2. In picking mechanism for a loom, a picking shaft having a cylindricalbearing part, a key on the shaft projecting beyond said bearing part, apicking shoe formedwith a cam carrying hub having a bore fitting andmovable angularly on said bearing part of the shaft, the hub having apocket therein communicating with the bore and extending lengthwise ofthe latter and receiving said key at oneside thereof, and a body of softelastic material in' said pocket cemented to the hub at the other'sideof said pocket engaging the key and normally. under compression toyieldingly hold the key against the hub atsaid one side of thepocketfsaid elastic material being capable of additional compression toenable that part of the hub at said one side of the pocket to move awayfromsaid key.

3. In picking mechanism for a 100m, a picking shaft having spacedexternal screw threads, adjusting nuts threaded on said screw threadsfor adjustment longitudinally of the shaft, a key on the shaft between"the nuts, a picking shoe provided with a cam iiarrying hub movableangularly on the shaft between said adjusting nuts and capable ofendwise movement on the shaft, and a body of soft elastic materialcemented to the hub and operatively interposed between the latter 6 andthe key and normally holding the hub against the key but yieldable topermit angular movement of the hub with respect to the shaft andmovement of the hub out of engagement with the key, said elasticmaterial moving with the hub along the length of the shaft when saidadjusting .nuts are altered to change the location of the hub along theshaft.

WILLIAM A. BLANC'HARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

